Crane specialists monitor the progress as the bracket for the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) is lifted up for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
Members of the recovery team watch as a test version of the Orion crew module is secured in the flooded well deck of the USS San Diego during Underway Recovery Test 5 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and the U.S. Navy are conducting a series of tests to prepare for recovery of Orion on its return from deep space missions. The testing will allow the team to demonstrate and evaluate recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel in open waters. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA's Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch on NASA's Space Launch System in late 2018. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.
A test version of the Orion crew module is guided into the flooded well deck of the USS San Diego during Underway Recovery Test 5 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. Recovery team personnel in a rigid hull inflatable boat have secured tether lines to the crew module. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and the U.S. Navy are conducting a series of tests to prepare for recovery of Orion on its return from deep space missions. The testing will allow the team to demonstrate and evaluate recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel in open waters. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA's Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch on NASA's Space Launch System in late 2018. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.
In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane moves the Orbital ATK CYGNUS pressurized cargo module to the KAMAG transporter. The module will be secured on the transporter and moved to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
A weather balloon is released at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida before flights of agency F-18 jets to measure the effects of sonic booms. Several flights a day have been taking place the week of Aug. 21, 2017 as part of NASA's Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence, or SonicBAT II Program. NASA at Kennedy is partnering with the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, Langley Research Center in Virginia, and Space Florida for a program in which F-18 jets will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence caused by sonic booms.
Photos of Firing Room 1 inside the Launch Control Center (LCC) at Kennedy Space Center.
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, former NASA astronaut Dan Tani, who now is senior director of Missions and Cargo Operations for Orbital ATK in Dulles, Virginia, participates in a press interview. In the background is the Cygnus spacecraft scheduled to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station on the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission.
In the Space Station Processing Facility high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians secure the Orbital ATK CYGNUS pressurized cargo module on the KAMAG transporter. The module will be transported to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
Thomas Zurbuchen, in plaid shirt, NASA's associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, listens to a presentation at the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A NASA F-18 jet has taken off from the agency's Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Several flights a day have been taking place the week of Aug. 21, 2017 to measure the effects of sonic booms. It is part of NASA's Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence, or SonicBAT II Program. NASA at Kennedy is partnering with the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, Langley Research Center in Virginia, and Space Florida for a program in which F-18 jets will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence caused by sonic booms.
A service member and his family check out a test version of the Orion crew module on display at Naval Base San Diego in California, before Underway Recovery Test 5 (URT-5). NASA, Orion manufacturer Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy will head out to sea with the Orion test vehicle aboard the USS San Diego to demonstrate and evaluate the recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel necessary for recovery of Orion on its return from a deep space mission. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket in 2018. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.
Black skimmers take a break from flying on a riverbank at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. NASA’s Kennedy Space Center shares boundaries with the refuge, which is home to more than 330 native and migratory bird species, along with 25 mammal, 117 fish, and 65 amphibian and reptile species.
Seen to the right of the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane positions the Orion crew access arm (CAA) so it can be attached to the mobile launcher (ML). The arm will be installed at about the 274-foot level on the ML tower. NASA's Exploration Ground Systems organization has been overseeing installation of umbilicals and other launch accessories on the 380-foot-tall ML in preparation for stacking the first launch of the Space launch System (SLS), rocket with an Orion spacecraft. The CAA is designed to rotate from its retracted position and line up with Orion's crew hatch providing entry for astronauts and technicians.
Models of the Orion spacecraft and Launch Abort System are on display for viewing at Naval Base San Diego in California. Service members, base employees and their families had the opportunity to view a test version of the Orion crew module (in view in the background) before Underway Recovery Test 5 (URT-5). NASA, Orion manufacturer Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy will head out to sea with the Orion test vehicle aboard the USS San Diego to demonstrate and evaluate the recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel necessary for recovery of Orion on its return from a deep space mission. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket in 2018. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.
A red-shouldered hawk sits on a tree branch while snacking on a snake at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Kennedy shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, as well as a variety of insects.
The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is seen during an aerial survey of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on September 12, 2017. The survey was performed to identify structures and facilities that may have sustained damage from Hurricane Irma as the storm passed Kennedy on September 10, 2017. NASA closed the center ahead of the storm's onset and only a small team of specialists known as the Rideout Team was on the center as the storm approached and passed.
A view from below the mobile launcher shows a crane positioning the bracket for the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) high up for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
Inside High Bay 2 in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers help prepare the Orion heat shield from Exploration Flight Test-1 for unloading off its transporter. The heat shield is being transferred from the Orion Program to the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, Landing and Recovery Operations. In the VAB, the heat shield will be integrated with the Orion ground test article and used for future underway recovery testing.
U.S. Navy personnel check tether and winch lines on the deck of the USS San Diego to prepare for Underway Recovery Test 5 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and the U.S. Navy are conducting a series of tests using the ship's well deck, a test version of the Orion crew module, various watercraft and equipment to prepare for recovery of Orion on its return from deep space missions. The testing will allow the team to demonstrate and evaluate recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel in open waters. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA's Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch on NASA's Space Launch System in late 2018. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.
Sailors from the USS Anchorage simulate “Oscar,” a dummy used for man overboard drills, to the medical unit. During Underway Recovery Test 6, the USS Anchorage’s man overboard drill gave Kennedy Space Center’s NASA Recovery Team a glimpse of one way an astronaut could be brought from a small boat onto the ship using a stretcher. Once the Orion capsule splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, astronauts can choose to stay in the capsule until it is pulled into the well deck of the Navy vessel, or have a diver retrieve them in the open water and then get the capsule later.
The USS San Diego departs Naval Base San Diego in California on its way out to sea in the Pacific Ocean for the Orion Underway Recovery Test 5. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and the U.S. Navy will practice recovery techniques using the well deck of the ship and a test version of the Orion crew module to prepare for recovery of Orion on its return from deep space missions. The testing will allow the team to demonstrate and evaluate recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel in open waters. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA's Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch on NASA's Space Launch System in late 2018. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.
Kars Park I is seen during an aerial survey of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on September 12, 2017. The survey was performed to identify structures and facilities that may have sustained damage from Hurricane Irma as the storm passed Kennedy on September 10, 2017. NASA closed the center ahead of the storm's onset and only a small team of specialists known as the Rideout Team was on the center as the storm approached and passed.
An Orbital ATK L-1011 Stargazer aircraft carrying a Pegasus XL Rocket with eight NASA Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, soars high after takeoff from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. With the aircraft flying off shore, the Pegasus rocket will be released. Five seconds later, the solid propellant engine will ignite and boost the eight hurricane observatories to orbit. The eight CYGNSS satellites will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. Release of the Pegasus XL rocket is scheduled for 8:40 a.m. EST.
Melissa Jones, far right, Landing and Recovery director with the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program (GSDO), and other members of the recovery team speak to members of the media about Orion Underway Recovery Test 5. The USS San Diego is docked at Naval Base San Diego in California and the test version of the Orion crew module, secured on its handling fixture, was offloaded from the well deck of the ship. NASA's GSDO Program and the U.S. Navy completed a series of tests using the ship's well deck, the test module, various watercraft and equipment to prepare for recovery of Orion on its return from deep space missions. The testing allowed the team to demonstrate and evaluate recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel in open waters. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA's Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch on NASA's Space Launch System in late 2018. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.
A flatbed truck carrying one of two new service platforms for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines arrives inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platforms were transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. They will be stored in the VAB, where they will be used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying the NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, or GOES-S. Liftoff was at 5:02 p.m. EST. GOES-S is the second satellite in a series of next-generation weather satellites. It will launch to a geostationary position over the U.S. to provide images of storms and help predict weather forecasts, severe weather outlooks, watches, warnings, lightning conditions and longer-term forecasting.
Launch Complex 39B is seen during an aerial survey of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on September 12, 2017. The survey was performed to identify structures and facilities that may have sustained damage from Hurricane Irma as the storm passed Kennedy on September 10, 2017. NASA closed the center ahead of the storm's onset and only a small team of specialists known as the Rideout Team was on the center as the storm approached and passed.
Seagulls gather along a shoreline at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Kennedy shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fish, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds.
The USS San Diego is docked at Naval Base San Diego in California after returning from Underway Recovery Test 5 in the Pacific Ocean. A test version of the Orion crew module is being offloaded from the well deck of the ship. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and the U.S. Navy completed a series of tests using the ship's well deck, the test module, various watercraft and equipment to prepare for recovery of Orion on its return from deep space missions. The testing allowed the team to demonstrate and evaluate recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel in open waters. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA's Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch on NASA's Space Launch System in late 2018. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.
In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are underway to close the hatch of the Cygnus spacecraft's pressurized cargo module (PCM) for the Orbital ATK CRS-7 mission to the International Space Station. Scheduled to launch on March 19, 2017, the commercial resupply services mission will lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Thomas Zurbuchen, in plaid shirt, NASA's associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, listens to a presentation at the Swamp Works facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Melissa Jones, Landing and Recovery director with the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program (GSDO), speaks to members of the media about Orion Underway Recovery Test 5. The USS San Diego is docked at Naval Base San Diego in California and the test version of the Orion crew module, secured on its handling fixture, was offloaded from the well deck of the ship. NASA's GSDO Program and the U.S. Navy completed a series of tests using the ship's well deck, the test module, various watercraft and equipment to prepare for recovery of Orion on its return from deep space missions. The testing allowed the team to demonstrate and evaluate recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel in open waters. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA's Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch on NASA's Space Launch System in late 2018. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.
On the tarmac at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA and contractor workers review procedures before beginning loading of the Orion Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) structural test article in its transport container into NASA's Super Guppy aircraft. The test article will be transported to Lockheed Martin's Denver facility for testing. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission.
A test unit, or prototype, of NASA's Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) was delivered to the Space Station Processing Facility at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. The base of the APH is being prepared for engineering development tests to see how the science will integrate with the various systems of the plant habitat. It will have 180 sensors and four times the light output of Veggie. The APH will be delivered to the International Space Station in March 2017.
An engineer in a control trailer at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida monitors data before flights of agency F-18 jets to measure the effects of sonic booms. Several flights a day have been taking place the week of Aug. 21, 2017 as part of NASA's Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence, or SonicBAT II Program. NASA at Kennedy is partnering with the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, Langley Research Center in Virginia, and Space Florida for a program in which F-18 jets will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence caused by sonic booms.
The payload fairing containing NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S) is secured on a transporter and moved out of the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Florida. GOES-S will be transported to the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The payload fairing will be lifted and mated to the ULA Atlas V rocket. GOES-S is the second in a series of four advanced geostationary weather satellites. GOES-S is slated to launch aboard the ULA Atlas V on March 1.
Preparations are underway to lift the bracket for the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) up for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
In a clean room at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida, technicians and engineers monitor progress as NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S, or GOES-S, is mated to its payload attach fitting. It soon will be moved to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for mounting atop the Atlas V rocket that will boost the satellite to orbit. GOES-S is the second in a series of four advanced geostationary weather satellites that will significantly improve the detection and observation of environmental phenomena that directly affect public safety, protection of property and the nation's economic health and prosperity. GOES-S is slated to launch March 1, 2018 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.
The payload fairing containing NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S), secured on a transporter, arrives at the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The payload fairing will be lifted and mated to the ULA Atlas V rocket. GOES-S is the second in a series of four advanced geostationary weather satellites. GOES-S is slated to launch aboard the ULA Atlas V on March 1.
An Orbital ATK L-1011 Stargazer aircraft carrying a Pegasus XL Rocket with eight NASA Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, spacecraft is ready for takeoff from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. With the aircraft flying off shore, the Pegasus rocket will be released. Five seconds later, the solid propellant engine will ignite and boost the eight hurricane observatories to orbit. The eight CYGNSS satellites will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes.
A test unit, or prototype, of NASA's Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) was delivered to the Space Station Processing Facility at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. Oscar Monje, a scientist on the Engineering Services Contract, prepares the base of the APH for engineering development tests to see how the science will integrate with the various systems of the plant habitat. The APH will have about 180 sensors and fourt times the light output of Veggie. The APH will be delivered to the International Space Station in March 2017.
In the Space Station Processing Facility high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians are preparing to assist as a crane is used to lower a protective covering around Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
An Orbital ATK L-1011 Stargazer aircraft descends toward the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The aircraft carried a Pegasus XL Rocket with eight NASA Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, for launch. With the aircraft flying off shore, the Pegasus rocket was released. Five seconds later, the solid propellant engine ignited and boosted the eight hurricane observatories to orbit. The eight CYGNSS satellites will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. Release of the Pegasus XL rocket occurred at 8:37 a.m. EST.
Just north of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare a crane to lift the core stage forward skirt umbilical for installation onto the mobile launcher. The mobile launcher is designed to support the assembly, testing and check-out of the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft.
NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen gets a birds-eye view of the rough seas during part of Underway Recovery Test 6 on Jan. 19, 2018. Bowen is watching the testing so he can provide the team with an astronaut’s perspective. The testing with Kennedy Space Center's NASA Recovery Team and the U.S. Navy will provide important data that is being used to improve recovery procedures and hardware ahead of Orion's next flight, Artemis I, when it splashes down in the Pacific Ocean.
Members of the Wave Monitoring System check their data during the Underway Recovery Test 6, or URT-6, aboard the USS Anchorage. The testing with Kennedy Space Center’s NASA Recovery Team and the U.S. Navy will provide important data that is being used to improve recovery procedures and hardware ahead of Orion’s next flight, Exploration Mission-1, when it splashes down in the Pacific Ocean.
A test version of the Orion crew module has been offloaded from the USS San Diego at Naval Base San Diego in California after returning from Orion Underway Recovery Test 5 in the Pacific Ocean. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and the U.S. Navy completed a series of tests using the ship's well deck, the test module, various watercraft and equipment to prepare for recovery of Orion on its return from deep space missions. The testing allowed the team to demonstrate and evaluate recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel in open waters. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA's Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch on NASA's Space Launch System in late 2018. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.
A KAMAG transporter with Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module secured on top is moved inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CYGNUS will be lifted off of the transporter and lowered onto a processing stand for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
A view from beneath NASA's Super Guppy aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Orion Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) structural test article, secured inside its transport container, is lifted by crane from its transport vehicle and will be loaded into the Super Guppy for transport to Lockheed Martin's Denver facility where it will undergo testing. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission.
A NASA F-18 jet is prepared for takeoff from the agency's Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Several flights a day have been taking place the week of Aug. 21, 2017 to measure the effects of sonic booms. It is part of NASA's Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence, or SonicBAT II Program. NASA at Kennedy is partnering with the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, Langley Research Center in Virginia, and Space Florida for a program in which F-18 jets will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence caused by sonic booms.
Team members monitor the progress as the test version of the Orion crew module is transported into the well deck of the USS San Diego at Naval Base San Diego in California. NASA, Orion manufacturer Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy will head out to sea with the Orion test spacecraft aboard for Underway Recovery Test 5 (URT-5) in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. During URT-5, the team will demonstrate and evaluate the recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel necessary for recovery of Orion on its return from a deep space mission. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket in 2018. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.
A trailer flipped on it's side at the Turn Basin is seen during a survey of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on September 12, 2017. The survey was performed to identify structures and facilities that may have sustained damage from Hurricane Irma as the storm passed Kennedy on September 10, 2017. NASA closed the center ahead of the storm's onset and only a small team of specialists known as the Rideout Team was on the center as the storm approached and passed.
An osprey, clutching a fish, pauses for a meal atop a metal structure at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spaceport shares boundaries with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which is home to more than 330 native and migratory bird species, along with 25 mammal, 117 fish, and 65 amphibian and reptile species.
NASA, contractor and U.S. Navy personnel are on the deck of the USS San Diego as the sun sets on the fourth day of Underway Recovery Test 5 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and the U.S. Navy practiced retrieving and securing a test version of the Orion crew module in the well deck of the ship using tethers and a winch system to prepare for recovery of Orion on its return from deep space missions. The testing will allow the team to demonstrate and evaluate recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel in open waters. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA's Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch on NASA's Space Launch System in late 2018. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.
While touring the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Thomas Zurbuchen, in plaid shirt, NASA's associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, learns about the advanced plant habitat used to grow plants in space.
Two of the four propellers and engines of NASA's Super Guppy aircraft are in view at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Orion Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) structural test article, secured inside its transport container, will be loaded into the Super Guppy for transport to Lockheed Martin's Denver facility where it will undergo testing. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission.
In the flooded well deck of the USS San Diego, recovery team members watch as a winch line is operated to help guide a test version of the Orion crew module into the well deck during Orion Underway Recovery Test 5 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and the U.S. Navy will practice recovery techniques using the well deck of the ship and a test version of the Orion crew module to prepare for recovery of Orion on its return from deep space missions. The testing will allow the team to demonstrate and evaluate recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel in open waters. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA's Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch on NASA's Space Launch System in late 2018. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.
An Orbital ATK L-1011 Stargazer aircraft carrying a Pegasus XL Rocket with eight NASA Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, soars high after takeoff from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. With the aircraft flying off shore, the Pegasus rocket will be released. Five seconds later, the solid propellant engine will ignite and boost the eight hurricane observatories to orbit. The eight CYGNSS satellites will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. Release of the Pegasus XL rocket is scheduled for 8:40 a.m. EST.
An Orbital ATK L-1011 Stargazer aircraft carrying a Pegasus XL Rocket with eight NASA Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, spacecraft takes off from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. With the aircraft flying off shore, the Pegasus rocket will be released. Five seconds later, the solid propellant engine will ignite and boost the eight hurricane observatories to orbit. The eight CYGNSS satellites will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes.
During a media tour of the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, two cranes are used to lift one of two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket into the vertical position. The pathfinder booster segment will be moved to the other end of the RPSF and secured on a test stand. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, will prepare the booster segments, which are inert, for a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars.
An alligator moves through a brackish waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. More than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.
The test version of the Orion crew module has been transported into the well deck of the USS San Diego at Naval Base San Diego in California. NASA, Orion manufacturer Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy will head out to sea with the Orion test spacecraft aboard for Underway Recovery Test 5 (URT-5) in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. During URT-5, the team will demonstrate and evaluate the recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel necessary for recovery of Orion on its return from a deep space mission. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket in 2018. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.
NASA F-18 jets prepare for takeoff from the agency's Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Several flights a day have been taking place the week of Aug. 21, 2017 to measure the effects of sonic booms. It is part of NASA's Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence, or SonicBAT II Program. NASA at Kennedy is partnering with the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, Langley Research Center in Virginia, and Space Florida for a program in which F-18 jets will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence caused by sonic booms.
A test version of the Orion crew module floats in the Pacific Ocean during Underway Recovery Test 5 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. Nearby are U.S. Navy divers and other personnel in a rigid hull inflatable boat. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and the U.S. Navy are conducting a series of tests using the well deck of the USS San Diego, several watercraft, support equipment and personnel to prepare for recovery of Orion on its return from deep space missions. The testing will allow the team to demonstrate and evaluate recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel in open waters. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA's Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch on NASA's Space Launch System in late 2018. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.
The Orion heat shield from Exploration Flight Test-1, secured on a transporter, departs the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, for its move to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The heat shield is being transferred from the Orion Program to the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, Landing and Recovery Operations. In the VAB, the heat shield will be integrated with the Orion ground test article and used for future underway recovery testing.
Team members monitor progress as the GOES-R spacecraft is lifted from horizontal to vertical inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. GOES-R will be the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites. The spacecraft is to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in November.
A U.S. Navy diver in a rigid hull inflatable boat uses a hook to capture a tow line during Underway Recovery Test 5 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and the U.S. Navy are using the well deck of the USS San Diego and a test version of the Orion crew module to practice recovery techniques to prepare for recovery of Orion on its return from deep space missions. The testing will allow the team to demonstrate and evaluate recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel in open waters. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA's Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch on NASA's Space Launch System in late 2018. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.
A heavy-lift transport truck, carrying the Crew Access Arm for Space Launch Complex 41, departs from Oak Hill, Florida, and heads to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The arm will be installed on the Complex 41 Crew Access Tower at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It will be used as a bridge by astronauts to board Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft as it stands on the launch pad atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.
The USS San Diego is docked at Naval Base San Diego in California after returning from Underway Recovery Test 5 in the Pacific Ocean. A test version of the Orion crew module is being offloaded from the well deck of the ship. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and the U.S. Navy completed a series of tests using the ship's well deck, the test module, various watercraft and equipment to prepare for recovery of Orion on its return from deep space missions. The testing allowed the team to demonstrate and evaluate recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel in open waters. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA's Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch on NASA's Space Launch System in late 2018. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.
On the tarmac at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the agency's Super Guppy aircraft closes after the Orion Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) structural test article, in its transport container, is secured inside. The test article will be transported to Lockheed Martin's Denver facility for testing. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission.
A KAMAG transporter with Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module secured on top exits the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CYGNUS will be transported to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
NASA Recovery Director Melissa Jones watches part of Underway Recovery Test 6, from the flight deck of the USS Anchorage. During this portion, the Orion test article is intentionally subjected to an increased sea state as the NASA Recovery Team works hard to keep control of the spacecraft. The testing with Kennedy Space Center's NASA Recovery Team and the U.S. Navy will provide important data that is being used to improve recovery procedures and hardware ahead of Orion's next flight, Exploration Mission-1, when it splashes down in the Pacific Ocean.
The USS San Diego is docked at Naval Base San Diego in California after returning from Underway Recovery Test 5 in the Pacific Ocean. A test version of the Orion crew module is being offloaded from the well deck of the ship. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and the U.S. Navy completed a series of tests using the ship's well deck, the test module, various watercraft and equipment to prepare for recovery of Orion on its return from deep space missions. The testing allowed the team to demonstrate and evaluate recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel in open waters. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA's Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch on NASA's Space Launch System in late 2018. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.
A NASA pilot boards an F-18 jet prior to take off from the agency's Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Several flights a day have been taking place the week of Aug. 21, 2017 to measure the effects of sonic booms. It is part of NASA's Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence, or SonicBAT II Program. NASA at Kennedy is partnering with the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, Langley Research Center in Virginia, and Space Florida for a program in which F-18 jets will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence caused by sonic booms.
NASA’s Ground Systems Development and Operations Program (GSDO) participates in a “Be Wise” program at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in San Diego, California. Participants listen to a presentation by engineers from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. GSDO participated in several outreach events to students and the general public before the start of the Orion Underway Recovery Test 5 (URT-5) using a test version of the Orion crew module in the Pacific Ocean. URT-5 will allow NASA and the U.S. Navy to demonstrate and evaluate the recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel necessary for recovery of the Orion crew module on its return from a deep space mission. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA’s Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket in 2018. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.
In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials are prepared for loading aboard a Cygnus spacecraft's pressurized cargo module (PCM) for the Orbital ATK CRS-7 mission to the International Space Station. Scheduled to launch on March 19, 2017, the commercial resupply services mission will lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The Artemis I Orion pressure vessel sits fully unwrapped, lifted and moved to the birdcage inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 2, 2016. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
A water fountain marks the entrance to the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in San Diego, California. NASA’s Ground Systems Development and Operations Program (GSDO) is participating in a “Be Wise” program at the science center before the start of the Orion Underway Recovery Test 5 (URT-5) using a test version of the Orion crew module in the Pacific Ocean. URT-5 will allow NASA and the U.S. Navy to demonstrate and evaluate the recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel necessary for recovery of the Orion crew module on its return from a deep space mission. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA’s Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket in 2018. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.
Preparations are underway to lift the bracket for the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) up for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
A KAMAG transporter with Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module secured on top arrives at the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CYGNUS will be moved inside the facility for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
An engineer in a control trailer at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida monitors data before flights of agency F-18 jets to measure the effects of sonic booms. Several flights a day have been taking place the week of Aug. 21, 2017 as part of NASA's Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence, or SonicBAT II Program. NASA at Kennedy is partnering with the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, Langley Research Center in Virginia, and Space Florida for a program in which F-18 jets will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence caused by sonic booms.
An alligator moves through a brackish waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. More than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.
Astronaut Stephen Bowen checks out the choppy sea conditions as part of Underway Recovery Test 6 aboard the USS Anchorage. Bowen is an observer of the testing—giving an astronaut’s perspective to Kennedy Space Center’s NASA Recovery Team. The purpose of testing is to perfect recovery efforts to minimize impact to astronauts like Bowen once they have splashed down in the Pacific Ocean inside the Orion capsule.
A tricolored heron wades in a shallow waterway at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. NASA’s Kennedy Space Center shares boundaries with the refuge, which is home to more than 330 native and migratory bird species, along with 25 mammal, 117 fish, and 65 amphibian and reptile species.
In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician helps secure the hatch for closure on the Cygnus spacecraft's pressurized cargo module (PCM) for the Orbital ATK CRS-7 mission to the International Space Station. Scheduled to launch on March 19, 2017, the commercial resupply services mission will lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Inside the airlock in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay on Nov. 6, 2018, the European Space Agency's European Service Module (ESM) is uncrated at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The ESM will supply the main propulsion system and power to the Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), a mission to the Moon. The ESM also will house air and water for astronauts on future missions. EM-1 will be an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration to destinations beyond Earth orbit. EM-1 will be the first integrated test of NASA's Space Launch System, Orion and the ground systems at Kennedy.
Preparations are underway to lift the bracket for the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) up for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
A juvenile white ibis stands in a waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. More than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.
A black swallowtail butterfly enjoys a snack from a blooming lantana plant at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. NASA’s Kennedy Space Center shares boundaries with the refuge, which is home to more than 330 native and migratory bird species, along with 25 mammal, 117 fish, and 65 amphibian and reptile species.
A view of the north side of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) from the top of the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside the VAB, 10 levels of platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, have been installed in High Bay 3. The platforms will surround NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft and allow access during processing for missions, including the first uncrewed flight test of Orion atop the SLS rocket in 2018. Crawler-transporter 2 will carry the rocket and spacecraft atop the mobile launcher to Launch Pad 39B for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, with support from the center's Engineering Directorate, is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the VAB and the mobile launcher.
A view from inside NASA's Super Guppy aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Orion Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) structural test article, secured inside its transport container, will be loaded into the Super Guppy for transport to Lockheed Martin's Denver facility for testing. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission.
A NASA F-18 jet is prepared for takeoff from the agency's Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Several flights a day have been taking place the week of Aug. 21, 2017 to measure the effects of sonic booms. It is part of NASA's Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence, or SonicBAT II Program. NASA at Kennedy is partnering with the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, Langley Research Center in Virginia, and Space Florida for a program in which F-18 jets will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence caused by sonic booms.
After a day of working with the Orion test article under rough seas on Jan. 19, 2018, the NASA Recovery Team inspects the capsule and their lines. As part of Underway Recovery Test 6, the Orion test article was intentionally subjected to an increased sea state to ensure the team could control the spacecraft under all possible scenarios. The testing with Kennedy Space Center's NASA Recovery Team and the U.S. Navy will provide important data that is being used to improve recovery procedures and hardware ahead of Orion's next flight, Artemis I, when it splashes down in the Pacific Ocean.
Thomas Zurbuchen, in plaid shirt, NASA's associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, listens to a presentation at the Swamp Works facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In the foreground is a prototype robotic exploration vehicle.
The test version of the Orion crew module is transported into the well deck of the USS San Diego at Naval Base San Diego in California on Oct. 21, 2016. NASA, Orion manufacturer Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy will head out to sea with the Orion test spacecraft aboard for Underway Recovery Test 5 (URT-5) in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. During URT-5, the team will demonstrate and evaluate the recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel necessary for recovery of Orion on its return from a deep space mission.
NOAA's Geostationary Operation Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S) arrives at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida, to prepare it for launch. The facility is located near NASA's Kennedy Space Center. GOES-S is the second in a series of four advanced geostationary weather satellites. The GOES-R series - consisting of the GOES-R, GOES-S, GOES-T and GOES-U spacecraft - will significantly improve the detection and observation of environmental phenomena that directly affect public safety, protection of property and the nation's economic health and prosperity. GOES-S is slated to launch March 1, 2018 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
A turtle lumbers along on the sand near railroad tracks at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. More than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.
Top scholars from Brevard County public high schools participate in roundtable discussions with NASA engineers and scientists at the Public Engagement Center at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Top scholars from the high schools were invited to Kennedy Space Center for a tour of facilities, lunch and a roundtable discussion. The 2017-2018 Brevard Top Scholars event was hosted by the center's Education Projects and Youth Engagement office to honor the top three scholars of the graduating student class from each of Brevard County’s public high schools. The students received a personalized certificate at the end of the day.
APEX-04, or Advanced Plant EXperiments-04, is being prepared in a cold room in the Kennedy Space Center Processing Facility for SpaceX-10. The petri plates are wrapped in black cloth and kept cold (+4 degrees Celsius) to prevent them from germinating prior to the experiment start on station. Dr. Anna Lisa Paul of the University of Florida is the principal investigator for APEX-04. Apex-04 is an experiment involving Arabidopsis in petri plates inside the Veggie facility aboard the International Space Station. Since Arabidopsis is the genetic model of the plant world, it is a perfect sample organism for performing genetic studies in spaceflight. The experiment is the result of a grant from NASA’s Space Life and Physical Sciences division.
Members of the news media watch as a crane is used to move one of two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket to a test stand in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside the RPSF, the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, will prepare the booster segments, which are inert, for a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars.